Railway-mail delivery and receiving apparatus



A I gnwntoh:

Oman?- R. BQSTICK ET AL RAILWAY IA IL DELIVERY AND RECEIVING APPARATUS Fi1ed Oct. 22, 1923 Oct. 20,1925- Oct. 20, 1925- R. BOSTICK ET AL RAILWAY MAIL DELIVERY AND RECEIVING APPARATUS filed Oct. 22, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 20 1925- R. BOSTICK ET AL RAILWAY MAIL DELIVERY AND RECEIVING APPARATUS Filed 001;. 22, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 20, 1925- R. BOSTICK ET AL RAILWAY HAIL DELIVERY AND RECEIVING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 22,.1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zlw Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROGER BOSTICK, OF BENOIT, MISSISSIPPI, AND WILLIAM E. WOODSON, OF JACKSON,

TENNESSEE, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO 3'. Y. FAUNTLEROY, OF NEW ORLEANS,

LOUISIANA.

RAILWAY-MAIL DELIVERY AND RECEIVING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 22, 1923.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that we, (1) ROGER BOSTICK and (2) \VILLIAM E. \Voonson, citizens of the United States, residing at (1) Benoit,

(2) Jackson, in the counties of (1) Bolivar,

' (2) lVIadison, and States of (1) Mississippi, (2) Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Mail Delivery and Receiving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to railway mail delivery and receiving apparatus and particu larly to apparatus of the collapsible type An object of the invention is to provide 5 railway mail delivery and receiving apparatus which will eliminate wear and tear on mail sacks; which will leave a maximum clearance along the right of way and which will simultaneously deliver and receive a mail pouch.

These and other objects of the invention which will be apparent from the following description are attained in the embodiment ct our invention which is shown in the ac- 95 ccmpa ying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of the mail crane and the cooperating apparatus on a mail car: the dotted lines illustrating the parts in collapsed or partly collapsed positions; Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary elevations on a larger scale of the collapsible frame work of the mail crane, and of the mail car apparatus, respectively; A

Fig. i is a fragmentary horizontal section showing the lower member of the mail crane framework, the section being taken on line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar section, but on a smaller scale, and shows the catcher arms of the mail crane;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing the mounting of the ring supporting plate of the mail crane, the section being taken on line 66 of Fig. 2;

7 is a plan view of the catcher arm on the mail car, the arm being illustrated in extended position;

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of the catcher arm clamp, Fig. 8 comprising a plan view of the clamp, and Fig. 9 a section as taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Serial No. 670,204.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the ring supporting plate of the mailcar apparatus; and I i Fig. 11 is a fragmentary'end elevation of the mail car ring plate.

As shown in the drawings the mail crane includes a vertical standard 1 carrying T-- shaped fittmgs 2, 3 to which the substan tially parallel rods 4 and 5 of the mail sack supporting framework are pivoted. Ayoke 6 which is fixed to the standard 1 below the pivotal support 3 provides a pivotal support for the plate 7 to which the oppositely directed catcher arms 8 having spring catches 9 fixed thereon are secured.

The parallel motion linkage is completed by a ring-supporting plate" 10 which is pivoted to the rods 4, 5, and a bar or rod 11 which ispivoted to the rod 5 and to a pair of rods 12 which are carried by the plate 7. The pivotal connections at the opposite ends of the rod 11 may be of any suitable type, but the pivotal connections of the ring-supporting plate 10 are designed to permit the rotation of the plate 10 into a position paral-.

lel to the right of Way when the framework.

from the upper rod 4, and the sleeve 1 1 has an car 19 depending from the inner side At its inner edge thereof which is pivoted to a member 19.v on

the lower rod 5. As viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, the rod 4 is arranged slightly tothe rear.

of the rod 5 to permit the-folding of the; frameworkclose to thestandard 1. A combined torsion and compression spring 20 which is arranged about the pin 16 and leetween the upper face'of the sleeve lei: and the plate 10 tends to rotate the plate 10 from the full line position shown in Fig. 1 into the position shown in dotted lines, i. e.

parallel to the right of way.

The lower faceof the plate 10 isrecessed at 21 to conform to the upper surface of the rod 5, and the pin 16 of plate 10 is slidable through the sleeve 14 to bring the plate 10 into engagement with the rod 5 when the weight of a mail sack overcomes the force of the spring 20 to depress the plate 10.

The mail sack is not attached directly to the plate 10, but is fastened by a cord or strap which passes about the center of the sack :to an ear or eyelet 22 of a ring 23, which .ring is mounted in the collapsible frame in position to engage the upper surface of ring 23, the lug 25 and lower lug 24 being so arranged that a line joining these lugs will lie outside of the vertical center line of a ring which is mounted in the framework. When the framework is raised into position and a ring 23 carrying a mail sack is mounted in the several lugs,'the weight of the sack compresses the spring 20 to bring the lower face of plate 10 into engagement with the rod 5 and'the weight of the sack as well as the weight of the parts of the framework tends to collapse the framework, but this folding of. the framework can not take place while the ring is in place since the ring holds the outer end of rod 4 at a fixed distance from the outer end of rod 5. lVhen the sack is removed, the'framewo-rk is free to collapse by gravityand the plate 10 rotates from a position transverse to theright of way into a position parallel thereto. To permit the framework to fold into a small space, the plate 7 is preferably provided with a groove 26. in, ine ith the .r'od ll a e r 5 is offset as at 27 near its pivotal support 3.

The catcher arm 28 which is mountedupon'the mail 'carlis approximately V-shaped,

and is formed with a narrow passage or loop 29 into which the ring 23 slides when it is p ed p r m he m il ran t e Opening into the loop 29 being normally closed by a spring catch 30 which prevents the accidental release of a ring from the catcher Th i er ch 0f h atch r m 28 is fixed in a block.31 which is pivoted to a block 32 caried by the offset portion of a rod 33 whose aligned ends'are journaled in bearings 34 on the car. The catcher arm 28 may be directed toward either end of the car by a rotation of block 31 with respect to block32, and the inner end of the arm 28 may be held in place by any suitable form of clamping mechanism at the opposite ends of the rocl33. As shown in the drawings, each of the clamps comprises'a, sleeve 35 fined to the rod 33 and carrying a recessed plate 36 to which the inner end of the catcher ar-m be held by the hinged cover plate 37, which is clamped in place by a winged bolt 38. The rod 33 is free to'turn in the bearings 34, consequently the catcher arm normally drops to a vertical position by gravity. A handle 39 is provided for moving the catcher upwardly into horizontal position sothat the outer end of the catcher may pass through the rings 23 which are supported upon the mail cranes along the track.

The mail sack delivery apparatus upon the mail car is supported upon a vertical standard 40 and, while similar to the collapsible framework of the mail crane, is of simpler construction due to the fact that the standard 40is located at the inner edge of the car door framing, thus providing the desired clearance without necessitating the rotation of the ring-supporting plate 41 into a plane parallel to the right of way. The plate 41 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the standard 40 by a link 42 which is attached to the upper and inner corner of the plate by a suitable pivot pin 43, which pin also connects the upper rod 44 of the folding framework to the plate. A lower rod 45 is connected to the lower portion of the plate, and preferably the outer ends of the rods 44, 45 are provided with fiat surfaces for engagement with arcuate wear strips 46' of soft metal which are carried by the plate 41.. The opposite ends of the rods 44, 45 are pivotally connected to the outer ends of the parallel rods 46, 47, respectively, and are joined to each other by a rod 48 whose pivot points are located close to the inner ends of the rods 44, 45, respectively. The inner ends of the rods 46, 47. are pivoted to the standard 40, which forms the fixed member of the collapsible frame which may be extended by depressing the handle 49 formed by an extension of the upper rod 46 beyond the standard 40 To secure the simultaneous movement of the catcher arm 28 and the sack delivering mechanism, the handles 39 and 49 are joined by .a link 50, and for convenience in moving the framework into extended position the link 42 is provided with a hand-grip 51.

The plate 41 carries a plurality of fixed lugs 52, and a movable lug 53 which is slidably mounted in the upper part of the plate and is urged into downward position by spring means, such as the lever54 and leaf spring 55. Obviously the mail crane plate 10 and the mail car plate 41 are designed to support rings of identical construction, but for convenience of description the ring which is mounted in the mail car plate-is identified by the numeral 56 and the sack which it carries is designated at S.

To set the mail crane in operative position, the rods 4 and 5 are raised into substantially horizontal position and the plate ll.) is rotated into alignment with the rod Airing 23 carrying a sack S is then engaged in the lugs of the plate '10, and the lug 25 on the end of rod 4;, thus locking the framework in extended position. The depth of the re- I rod 5 and the rods 12 of the plate 7.

A ring 56 carrying a sack S may be engaged in the lugs of the plate ll without first moving the framework into extended position, and then as the car approaches the mail crane the sack-delivering fran'iework and the catcher arm 28 are extended by a downward pressurefupon handles 39 or L9, and an outward thrust on the hand-grip of the link 42. As the mail tar passes the mail crane, the catcher arm 28 of the car removes the ring 23 from the mail crane, and one of the catcher arms 8 of the mail crane removes the ring 56 from the mail car apparatus. hen the ring 23 is removed from the mail crane the framework collapses by gravity and the plate 10 is rotated by the spring 20 into a plane parallel to the right of way, the parts taking the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the ring I has been caught by the catcher arm on the mail car, the attendant releases the pressure upon the handles and this framework also collapses by gravity, an intermediate position of the framework as it folds towards the car being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the framework is fully collapsed the catcher arm 28 is in vertical position and the ring 23 and attached sack may be easily removed.

It will be noted, that the setting of the mail crane and of the sack-delivering appa ratus upon the mail car is not dependent upon the direction of train travel, and that no damage will result even though a train approaches from the direction opposite to that expected. It is necessary, of course, that the catcher arm upon the car be properly set according to the direction of train travel, but with this exception the setting of the apparatus is unchanged. The apparatus, both at the station and upon the train folds by gravity into inoperative position, thus preventing accidental movement of the apparatus into position across the right of way.

It will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein described since various changes may be made in the several parts, their relative size, shape and arrangement, without departing from the spirit of our invention.

e claim:

'1. Ina railway mail transferringapparatus, a collapsible parallel-motion framework lying substantially in a plane perpendicular to the right of way, said framework comprising a standard, rods pivoted to said standard, a ring receiving member, and pivotal connections between said member and each of said rods completing said parallel-motion framework. I

2. Railway mail transferring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said pivotal connections permit rotation of said member into a plane substantially parallel to the right of way.

3. A railway mail transfer device comprising a standard, rods pivotally connected to said standard, a member pivoted to each of said rods and cooperating therewith and with said standard to form a parallelanotion framework lying substantially in a plane perpendicular to the right of way, and means on said member for supporting a ring to which a mail sack may be attached.

at. A mail crane comprising a standard, a collapsible framework comprising a plurality of rods pivoted to said standard and means pivotally connecting the said rods to each other, means on said frameworkfor receiving a sack-carrying ring, and'means operative to lock the said parts of said framework against relative pivotal movement so long as a ring is positioned in said ring-receiving means. I

5. In a railway ,mail transferring apparatus, the combination with a collapsible parallel-motion framework lying substantially in a plane perpendicular to the right of way, said framework comprising a standard, rods pivoted to said standard, and a member pivoted to each of said rods, of means on said framework for receiving a sack-carrying ring said means when engaged by a ring operating to maintain said framework in extended position.

6. In a railway mail transfer device, a plurality of elements having recessed faces adapted toreceive a sack-carrying ring and to support the same in a plane substantially normal to the right of way, the recessed faces of saidrelements being arranged toengage the periphery of a ring at spaced points located. along more than one-half the circumference of the ring, and an ex; tensible framework carrying said plurality of elements.

7. A railway mail transferdevice com-' prising a plate-like member having lugs projecting from one edge thereof, said lugs having recessed faces for yieldingly holding a sack-carrying ring substantially in the plane of said plate-like member, a collapsible framework for positioning said member and a ring carried thereby in a plane normal to the right of way, and means perm'itting said plate-like member to move into a plane substantially parallel to the right of, way upon the removal of the ring from 7 said lugs.

8. A railway mail transfer device comprising a standard, a pair of rods pivoted to said standard, I a plate-like member pivoted to each of said rods at intermediate points thereof to provide a parallel motion.

way so long as a ring is positioned within the grooves of said elements, said ringreceiving elements and supporting means permitting the removal of said ring by a catcher arm approaching from either direction.

10. In a railway mail transfer apparatus, a standard, a pair of spaced rods pivoted to said standard, a member adapted to receive a sack-carrying ring, and connections between said member and each of said rods permitting the movement of said rods from extended position across the right of way into vertical position along said standard and permitting the rotationof said member from .an operative position transverse the right of way into an inoperative position parallel thereto. I V

11-. In a railway mail transfer device, a member adapted to receive a sack-supporting ring, a collapsible parallel-motion frame-i work supporting said member, pivotal connections between said member and said supporting framework permitting the rotation of said member from a plane perpendicular to the right of way into a plane parallel to the right of way, and cooperating means carried by said member and said framework adapted to lock said framework in extended position and said member against rotation when a ring is positioned in said member.

12. In a railway mall transfer apparatus, a standard, a pair of spaced rods plvoted to said standard, a member adapted to receive vertical position along said standard and permitting the rotation of said member 'rom an operative position transverse the right of way into an inoperative position parallel thereto, 'and means operative by a ring piaced in said member to lock said rods in extended position and said member in operative position.

13. In a railway mail transferring apparatus, a pair of substantially parallelsupporting rods, a. ring-receiving member pivoted to said rods by connections which permit a sliding movementof said member, cooperating surfaces on said member and one of said rods for preventing rotation of said member when at one limit of its range of sliding movement, and yielding means urging said member away from locking position and tending to rotate'said member from aposition substantially in the plane of said rods to a position normal to the plane'of said rods, said member being movable into locking position against the force of said yielding means by a sack-carrying ring positioned in said member.

14:. In a railway mailjtra-nsferring apparatus, a standard, a member adapted to receive a sack-carrying ring, a link pivoted to said member and to said standard, and a parallel-motion linkage carried by said standard and connected to said member.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures.

ROGER BOS'IICK. WILLIAM E. WOODSON, 

